


Five Too Many

by UnknownAI



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Tony Angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-28
Updated: 2015-10-04
Packaged: 2018-04-23 18:36:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4887535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnknownAI/pseuds/UnknownAI
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One was the norm. Almost everyone had only one their entire life. Two was rare but not unheard of. Only seven people in the world have ever had three.</p><p>Tony Stark, however, had five soulmarks throughout his life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, there really is no excuse for writing this monstrosity. Oh well.

One was the norm. Almost everyone had only one their entire life. Two was rare but not unheard of. Only seven people in the world have ever had three.

Tony Stark, however, had five soulmarks throughout his life.

He was first born with only one. They were pure white wings, stretching across almost the entirety of his chest. Howard recognized it almost immediately. The man gaped, tracing over the feathers while Tony giggled.

“Howard?’ Maria asked tentatively. He had the look on his face that meant he was in deep thought. All of a sudden, he laughed. He laughed and laughed, the nurses and doctors giving him a weird look. Maria thought ‘this is it, he’s finally gone crazy,’ before  
Howard stopped abruptly.

“It’s Steve’s,” he said, caressing his son’s chest. “This is Steve’s soulmark.”

Maria could’ve sworn her heart stopped at that very moment. It was as if time slowed down so she could really take in the moment. The world was spinning and she felt dizzy. Howard was still holding Tony, fixated on his mark.

“You’re going to leave, aren’t you?” she whispered quietly, even though she already knew the answer.

“Well, of course,” he said without a moment’s hesitation, unaware of the internal conflict that was going through his wife. “This proves he’s still out there!” Her's eyes widened before her expression darkened.

One of the nurses saw what was about to happen and acted quickly, taking the baby out of Howard’s arms before the two of them started quarreling. Tony, who was an unusually quiet baby, started crying.

“You have a family,” Maria said.

“This is my life’s work!”

“So what are we? Was I just a way to get you an heir? Is Anthony only there to take care of your company while you go out looking for a man who’s probably dead?”

“Don’t you dare say that,” he hissed but Maria only laughed.

“Why? We all know it’s true. How long has he been gone? Twenty two, twenty three years?”

“Twenty five, but that’s not the point!” His face was red and he had his shoulders squared to show he was really angry now, but Maria couldn’t really care at the moment.

“Then what is?”

He pointed at his son, who was still crying. The nurse tried to soothe him with a gentle lullaby but it was drowned out by all the shouting. “That is! Steve’s still out there and I need to find him!”

Maria sighed, rubbing her eyes. She couldn’t do this again. There was a period of time in their relationship where Howard would be gone for weeks at a time, fishing around the Atlantic. She thought he had finally accepted that Steve was gone but apparently she was wrong.

“Fine.” Howard’s eyes widened. Had she agreed to let him go?

“Leave for all I care. But I want you to promise me something: you will be there when Anthony says his first words and takes his first steps. Then you can leave.”

Howard perked up and smiled, kissing her on the forehead but somehow, it felt hollow. She let him do so, nonetheless.  
\---  
Howard didn’t need to stay for long because Tony was a fast learner.

Howard would talk constantly to his son about stories, mostly of the Howling Commandos and Steve. He was telling Tony about Steve and fondue, something he’s done about twelve times in the past ten months, when Tony opened his mouth and-

“Fandue.” Howard stopped suddenly, his head whipped around so fast that it could’ve hurt him.

“Did you just-“

“F-fandue. Fondue.” Howard grinned and picked his son out of his crib. With what could’ve been a cry or laugh or both, he plopped a messy kiss on Tony’s cheek. Tony giggled.

“Yes, yes! Maria, did you hear that? He said fondue!’

Maria only watched in silence as her heart broke a little more.  
\---  
Only two months later, a few days after Tony’s first birthday, he took his first steps.

Howard had become increasingly desperate after Tony said his first word. He always had Tony stand whenever he could and, at one point, forcibly moved his legs to mimic walking.

When it happened, neither Howard nor Maria were around. Tony just woke up from his nap to find his room empty. Instead of crying like he usually did, he pushed himself up using the crib’s arms and with a little maneuvering, climbed over. He dropped down on the soft carpet with a thump. “Papa?” he asked. When there was no answer, he grabbed onto the leg on the crib and stood up. Slowly, he placed one foot in front of the other like he had seen his parent doing and soon enough, left his room.

Howard didn’t even notice Tony was in his workshop until a loud clang sounded. He grabbed a wrench, thinking it was a burglar, but put it down when he saw the child playing with his blueprints. Sighing, he took them out of Tony’s hands.

“Maria,” he called, “why’d you bring Tony down here? You know it’s dangerous.”

“What’re you talking about? I didn’t do such a thing.” That’s when Howard turned to see Tony toddle over to his toolbox.

Howard nearly let out a sob of joy while an actual sob left Maria’s lips.  
\---  
Howard left two days later and that’s when Tony’s second mark appeared.

Tony watched as a group of strangers entered his house, carrying unfamiliar gear. Momma looked sad but Papa looked happy. Tony stared, confused.

“So this is Tony?” asked one of the strangers. Howard nodded.

“Don’t you think you should wait until he’s a little older before you leave?” What? Papa was leaving? Tears suddenly clouded his vision.

“Papa, I dun want you to leave!” He grabbed onto Howard’s pant leg but the man shook him off.

“I have something important to do.”

“Imputant?”

“It means it matters to you a lot.”

“Papa, you imputant to me!’ he insisted, hoping that would make Howard stay behind. But he must not have heard him because he didn’t react.

Maria laid a hand on Howard’s shoulder, saying something too quiet for Tony to hear. Howard shrugged and she said something else, but he pushed her away. She hit the wall with a thud. Everyone watched in silence as she picked herself up from the floor, glared at Howard, and left the room.

Tony wasn’t sure what was happening but Papa just hurt Momma! Anger built inside him and his blood was boiling. He wanted to do something, anything really, but even he knew he couldn't do much. So he didn’t say anything, just clenched his tiny fist. He didn’t say anything as Howard and his group left him behind, all alone. He didn’t say anything as he watched Maria bandage her shoulder.

It wasn’t until about an hour later did he notice a faint tingling on his right hand. He looked down only to be met with green spots speckling his fingers. It didn’t look like anything, not like the wings on his chest. He moved his fingers around, trying to make a picture but that didn’t work. Then he balled his hand into a fist and it finally started to take form.

A small green fist splayed over his fingers. His second soulmark.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so if you didn't read the last chapter's notes, I'm going to say it here too. In my story, you see your soulmark (the one your soulmate will have) in a dream when you're young. So then, you remember what it looks like forever and that's how you find your soulmate.

He first dreamt of his soulmark when he was five.

Howard had been absent nearly all of his son's life, only to come home drunk and angry because it was another day without finding Captain America. He wasn't a violent drunk, it was mostly just colorful slurs and isolating himself, but he had hit both Maria and Tony on a few occasions. When that happened, Tony would always run to his room, sometimes not leaving for hours.

Maria wasn't around much either. Now that her husband was away more often than not, she was left alone with her son in a too big house. She tried to be the best mother she could but sometimes, she would go out for a little bit. Even she needed some fresh air. But then, the periods where she left the house became longer and longer until she would come home at two in the morning and Tony wouldn't even question it.

When neither of his parents weren't around, there was Jarvis. Maria hired him when Tony turned three, around the start of her little getaways. He was the father figure Tony never really had. When Maria was gone, they would sneak into Howard's workshop and figure out together what this and that did. Most people credited Howard for Tony’s intelligence, saying that the brilliant mind was passed onto his son, but Jarvis taught him everything he knew. So when Tony had the dream, his soulmark dream, he ran straight for the butler.

“Jarvis!” he said and shook the man awake. “It’s small and blue and there’s lots of shapes in the middle. Oh, it also glows like-“

Jarvis blinked slowly then smiled. “Anthony,” he said because he refused to call the boy Tony, “slow down. Are you talking about your soulmark?” Tony nodded enthusiastically.

They stayed up all night, Tony drawing his soulmark on paper, on the walls, on the bed. It wasn’t until he finished drawing his soulmark on his pajamas did he slow down. He glanced up at Jarvis, who was watching quietly.

“Hey Jarvis?”

“Yes, Anthony?”

“How come you never talk about yours? Your mark, I mean.” Jarvis glanced away but sighing.

“Well, I don’t have a soulmate so I don’t have any mark.” He tried to smile but even Tony could tell it hurt him. Jarvis’s real smile made his eyes twinkle but here they looked distant and glassy. Tony stared at the man. He hated it, hated seeing someone in so much pain. It reminded him of his mother the day Howard left. Tony picked up Jarvis’s right hand and the blue marker.

“Anthony, what are you d-“He paused, staring down at the grinning boy. On his hand was a light blue circle with small, intricate shapes inside.

“Now you have my mark,” Tony said and giggled.

Jarvis stared in silence until a smile broke across his face and he laughed.

                                                       ---

Howard came home the next day to see his son and butler curled around each other. The room was covered in blue circles which he could only assume was Tony’s soulmark because he made sure Jarvis didn’t have a soulmate.

But it couldn’t be. Steve only had one mark, a small snowflake on his right arm, and people didn’t usually get another at his age. Howard felt the ground drop beneath him as Tony stirred around. His son blinked up at him slowly. No, this was all wrong. Tony’s soulmark wasn’t supposed to be a damn circle. It was supposed to be the one on Steve’s arm.

“Get up!” he snarled at the boy, who shot up immediately. Jarvis startled awake.

“Papa, I-“Tony started but was cut off and the sound of a hand hitting his cheek rang out. He looked at his father, cradling the stinging skin.

“How dare you betray me like this? It’s a fucking snowflake, not this shit!” He grabbed one of the drawing and ripped it down the middle. “He’s still out there, you have his fucking mark. So what the hell is this?” Howard pointed to the one of the circles on the wall and drove his fist through it. Tony watched in fear as Howard destroyed everything that had his mark on it. Jarvis kept Tony behind him.

He stopped after about three minutes to survey the damage he created. The room was a complete mess. Shreds of paper were everywhere and there were about eight holes in the walls. He looked at the two in the corner of the room and, with a sneer, left.

                                                       ___

Tony’s third mark came when he was ten and in the middle of running away.

Ever since Tony saw his mark, Howard made sure to stay away. Even when he couldn’t, he never acknowledged Tony. One memorable interview showed Howard pretending to not have a son ~~(Tony wasn’t hurt by that at all)~~. But then sometimes Howard would get to the alcohol and Tony would wish he went back to ignoring him. He would hit Tony whenever he was near, spitting and saying his mark was completely wrong. Then he’d pass out until he woke up and grabbed another bottle and the cycle would repeat itself.

Tony decided, as he iced the bruise on his arm, that wasn’t going to keep this up.

He packed a pillow case with a few provisions and wads of cash he stole over the years. Quietly, he tied together a couple of blankets and bedsheets to the bedpost. Then Tony threw one end out the window and slowly descended from his third story bedroom to the ground outside. As he dropped down, a burning sensation shot up from his right foot and he let out a yelp. It was apparently loud enough to alert someone because the alarm went off. He hesitated for a moment, watching as his bedroom lit up and Howard cursing by the windowsill. Tony sprinted away as he heard someone swing open the door.

His heart pumping, his breath ragged, his feet pounding, they all sent a rush through him. Had this been any other situation, he might’ve enjoyed it. But Tony could tell he couldn’t keep running forever so he dashed into Central Park. Using his last burst of energy, he climbed up the highest tree nearby and tried to keep his breathing quiet.

He listened intently as footsteps ran by and past him. He let out a sigh of relief and the adrenaline began to leave him. Tony’s body slowly became less numb and he became aware of the pain in his right foot again. He slipped his sneaker off to find a spot of red by his heel. Tony panicked because it looked like he hurt himself and he didn't bring any bandages but his sock wasn't stained. He blinked curiously.

His third soulmark, an hourglass on the bottom of his foot, looked blood red in the moonlight.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not really sure why I chose wings to be Steve's soulmark. Maybe I've watched too much Snk (if you do watch it, you know "wings of freedom"). However, for Bruce's mark, I chose it specifically for it to be on Tony's fingers so it takes form when he's angry (like when he clenches his fist). Anyway, if you're something like me and you've kind of wondered how people know that their soulmate has their mark, I've come up with a bullshit story. When you're little, you have a very vivid dream where you clearly see the mark your soulmate will have and it just burns into your memory forever.


End file.
